DESPITE BIG BASSMASTER LEAD, NO GUARANTEES FOR PACE

TULSA, Okla. 
Cliff Pace’s 7-pound lead over Brandon Palaniuk going into today’s final round of the Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake of the Cherokees would seem insurmountable, but not on this lake and certainly not against these anglers.

“It’s fishing and anything can happen,” said four-time Classic winner Kevin VanDam, who is in sixth place, over 13 pounds back. “Cliff is a great guy and I’m not wishing him any bad luck. But I’m going to do everything I can to beat him tomorrow.”

It has been a very different kind of Bassmaster Classic, this 43rd edition. It’s been cold, record cold, and the massive Grand Lake has been tough to fish, at least for some. Last year’s defending Classic champion, Chris Lane, blanked on the first day and finished 41st, missing the Top 25 cut.

The top six is made up of two Classic winners in VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., and Michael Iaconelli, the Pittsgrove, N.J.-based angler who was co-leader with Pace after Day One. Iaconelli overcame a couple of broken trolling motors, but still slipped to third (35-3), nearly 8 pounds back. There’s also Hank Cherry of Maiden, N.C. (fourth, 31-12) and Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., (fifth, 31-5).

Pace separated himself with two catches on a day when most anglers reported no more than seven or eight bites.

“That’s the difference between me and the other guys at the top,” Pace said. “I caught two kickers (large bass, 6- and 7 pounds). I was fortunate.”

It’s different for other reasons, though. There’s the new breed of angler, represented no better than in Palaniuk, a 25-year old who loves elk hunting and snowboarding, but he also has a passion for fishing. The Rathdrum, Idaho native totaled 36 pounds, 4 ounces for two days.

“I only caught seven bass the first day and seven bass today, but they were the right bass,” said Palaniuk.

The record for largest comeback on the final day of the Classic was set by Rick Clunn, a four-time Classic winner who overcame a 9-pound, 12-ounce deficit to beat Tommy Biffle in 1990.

It’s expected to be windy and much warmer for today’s finale. Fishing could be tough. Pace, 32, of Petal, Miss., believes he can hold it together to win his first Classic title, worth $500,000.

“There are things in this sport that can mess up, like mechanical equipment and the fact we fish on a public playing field,” Pace said.

“A lot can go wrong, but I don’t want to think about that.”

Notes

Former San Diegan Dean Rojas had five bass for 15-7 and jumped from 22nd to 12th place. Ish Monroe of Hughson, the only African-American angler in the field, made the cut at 24th with 26-1.